


Seasons

by NachoPeach



Series: Naruto Werewolf Verse [1]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alpha Kakashi, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Knotting, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Normal sized wolves - just so you know, Omega Iruka, Pack Dynamics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-08-09 11:14:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16448870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NachoPeach/pseuds/NachoPeach
Summary: The wolf he finds standing in the clearing is magnificent. All powerful legs, and muscular body covered in thick, slate grey fur. If his smell hadn’t made it apparent enough, his size definitely did - this was an Alpha. Iruka is cautious as he approaches, keeping his head low in submission, tail tentatively wagging in an invitation.This could go either way - either this wolf is in search of a mate, or he has intentionally lured in the pathetic omega who has dared intrude upon his territory.Gift for MagnusTesla who requested KakaIru werewolf AU with the whole A/B/O verse package. I'm pretty sure they just wanted some simple domestic fluff, but, my brain did a thing.





	Seasons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MagnusTesla](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagnusTesla/gifts).



> So this is basically an apology fic for those of you who have been personally victimized by the angst in my fic Catching Minnows. This is a two part-er, so the E rating is for chapter two, which will have all the details of your basic A/B/O smut package - you have been warned!
> 
> Anywho! I was literally just going to write a cute little fluff piece as requested by MagnusTesla, but then I started watching wolf documentaries for inspiration and here we are. Whoops. I hope this is still basically in the ballpark of what you were hoping for! 
> 
> (Also: for those of you who might want to tell me about how my timeline doesn't make sense. The 'December' section is towards the end of December, and the 'January' section is on New Years Day. So ha! :p)
> 
> Next Chapter: Pack cuteness, KakaIru Smut, Sasuke Angst, and new pack members!
> 
> -Nacho

 

_August_

 

Iruka stands guard as the three pups gnaw on the pitiful remains of the elk calf he had managed to take down - an insufficient meal for a pack of four hungry wolves, three of which were growing quickly and whose bellies seemed perpetually empty. It’s the best he can do for them. He’s small for a wolf, and he had never been the most skilled hunter. He’d never stand a chance against an adult, no matter how loudly their stomachs growled. For now, he provides as he is able.

 

He tenses as Sasuke and Naruto begin a squabble over a scrap of meat. Sasuke was growling, the silver-black fur on his hackles on end, tail raised and rigid, attempting to posture his body slightly above Naruto’s in a display of would-be dominance. Naruto, despite his smaller size and poorer track record in skirmishes with Sasuke, refuses to step down. He instead places both front paws over the contested morsel of meat. Head held low, he lifts his lip to display the top row of his white, needle-sharp puppy teeth, and releases a fearsome snarl that Iruka would not have believed had come from such a tiny thing had he never met the little yellow pup. He thinks to break up the fight, fearing the consequences of the rukus they are causing, but he can’t bring himself to do it. It has been so long since they had been allowed to be pups. They are far enough into the wild that there is very little likelihood that any hunters had been able to track them this far. There is no hint of human civilization for miles around, not a single convenience store. They were safe - at least Iruka hoped they were.

 

So he lets them play.

 

Sasuke charges, and snapps up the scrap of meat from under Naruto’s nose. Vexed by being bested by Sasuke yet again, Naruto releases another feral (but adorable, Iruka notes) growl and charges the other pup head-on. The result is a round of tug-of-war, both snarling, gnashing their teeth, and violently thrashing their heads in an attempt to shake the prize out of the other’s jaws. Eventually, the scrap rips in half, and the boys busy themselves for a fraction of a second gobbling up their shares.

 

Sakura watches from where she lounges while gnawing on a leg bone, looking almost wistful as she surveys the devoured animal with longing green eyes. The three of them have licked the carcass clean, leaving only bone and pelt. Fine by Iruka - he can eat next time. Ever the peacekeeper, Sakura trots over to the other two pups just as they seem to consider sizing each other up for another skirmish, and dips low into a play bow, gleefully yipping and snapping her tiny jaws in an invitation to join chase. Naruto’s response is immediate, he bows in return, bouncing from side to side, kicking up the rich soil with his little claws. Sasuke is more reserved. He looks over his shoulder to Iruka, tilting his head in question.

 

_Is this safe, Iruka?_

 

Iruka is grateful for the little one’s caution. It did Iruka’s nerves good to know that at least one of them was attempting to look out for himself a bit. (Well, and maybe Sakura, when she wasn’t busy fawning over Sasuke.) Caring for three pups on his own is trying enough, especially since Naruto, with all his boisterousness and tenacity, is effectively three pups all on his own.  Sasuke, on the other hand, is always careful, strategic. Iruka suspects he’ll be an Alpha one day.

 

_Go ahead. I’m watching._

 

*****

 

_December_

 

The snow brings death with it. Prey is harder to come by, and they have eaten their last tin of human food. It’s been nearly a month since Iruka has walked on two feet - it is simply too cold now to go without their winter coats. A chill runs through Iruka’s body that has nothing to do with the winter cold - it is a bone deep, desperate yearning.  He is restless, the pups struggle to keep up as he breaks into a trot, but his instincts allow him to go no slower. Despite the ice and snow, Iruka’s insides burn, his breath comes out in harsh pants. He stops only for a second, for the sole purpose of tilting his head towards the sky and releasing a long, mournful howl.

 

_I am here. Come find me. I am ready._

 

The pups, bless them, join with their own childish yips and whines - more out of instinct than anything else. They don’t quite know what is going on, they are not yet old enough to feel the pull of the full moon, to have their bodies demand that they find a mate. That they breed. Iruka, however, more than understands. His body practically sings with his understanding. This is risky, he knows. He could draw the attention of a mature pack, incensed that a lone omega and his cubs dare intrude onto their territory. Worse yet, he could draw the attention of more hunters. Iruka had his doubts about whether they all had the strength to escape with their lives once again. Of course, there’s always the possibility of the third option...

 

A deep, guttural howl resonates through the night. Iruka bounds in the direction of the disembodied howl, thick clouds of fog escape from his mouth as he pants.

 

_I’m here. I’m coming. I’m coming._

 

Iruka barrels through the forest, kicking up snow and debris as he desperately seeks the other wolf. This is his chance. He may not be able to control the ebbs and flows of his body’s cycles, but he can use them to his advantage. He is in no condition to conceive pups, but that doesn’t mean that having an Alpha wrapped around his finger for a day or two wasn’t going to be helpful. He reaches a spot where the treeline ends and all that lays beyond it is a wide open clearing of fresh, white snow. He looks over his shoulder at the pups, who were all gasping after their valiant effort of keeping up with the older wolf.

 

_Stay here. Be quiet. Dinner will be soon._

 

The pups, surprisingly, obey immediately, most possibly because they were relieved at being allowed to rest after their ordeal. Sasuke quickly finds an opening in a hollowed-out dead tree, motioning for the others to follow him as he cautiously pokes his head inside to give it a few delicate sniffs. When he is satisfied with the security of his hiding spot, he climbs inside and curls into a tight little ball, fluffy charcoal tail wrapping around his cold nose. Iruka chuffs in approval as the other two join him.

 

_I’ll be right back. Stay here and be safe._

 

The wolf he finds standing in the clearing is magnificent. All powerful legs, and muscular body covered in thick, slate grey fur. If his smell hadn’t made it apparent enough, his size definitely did - this was an Alpha. Iruka is cautious as he approaches, keeping his head low in submission, tail tentatively wagging in an invitation.This could go either way - either this wolf is in search of a mate, or he has intentionally lured in the pathetic omega who has dared intrude upon his territory. As the other wolf approaches him - tail up, head held high - Iruka throws himself on the powdery snow, belly up, right under the other’s nose. There is a tense pause as Iruka allows him to scent him, tip of the Alpha’s large black nose barely grazing the tips of his own chocolate brown fur. Then, after what seems like ages in his anxiousness, the Alpha - almost twice Iruka’s size - lowers his two front paws and yips, bouncing slightly off the ground before carefully locking eyes with Iruka. He was not pack, so they were not linked enough to have complex communication in this form, but Iruka understood  enough of his body language to get the gist:

 

_Companion! Happy!_

 

Iruka stands, easing his way in a half-crouch towards the Alpha. He gently noses against the other’s jaw, placing delicate little licks there with just the very tip of his tongue.

 

_Hello Alpha._

 

He’s done this before: an intricate dance as old as time. He needs to be submissive enough not to set the Alpha off, but assertive enough to make sure that he isn’t mounted - he has enough pups to feed. They spend the next half-hour racing and wrestling; Iruka doesn’t have to pretend to lose, this Alpha is strong and virile - a wolf in his prime. Iruka has gotten lucky this month. An outsider looking at their display would think that they were nothing more than overgrown pups having a rambunctious play session, both Iruka and this new wolf new better. They were sizing each other up, proving their fitness. Eventually, evidently satisfied with Iruka’s vitality, the Alpha lines his body up next to him, yellow eyes meeting brown. The message is clear:

 

_I want to mount you._

 

Iruka plays hard to get, angling his body towards the Alpha in apparent acquiescence, before leaping away playfully right as the wolf begins to prop both front paws on his back. If he were in his human form, Iruka would have shot him a teasing smirk - his wolf actually seemed to like this Alpha. And who knows, if the wolf proves to be a good hunter, Iruka may even let the large grey wolf mount him once or twice - to keep him around for longer. It would be risky, though - the herbs he has used before to prevent pregnancy have long since died and become buried in snow. He’s starving, though, and so are his pups. He’s willing to take the chance

 

This Alpha  has an easy confidence about him that makes Iruka more at ease with him than he probably ought to be. And later, after he leads Iruka into the woods in another attempt to woo him, he proves himself to be one of the best hunters Iruka’s ever seen. He takes down a full-grown elk buck with a decisive clamp of his jaws around its throat - all Iruka is asked to do to assist was chase from behind, herding the poor creature to its eminent death. When the elk is finally down, blood staining the snow beneath it in a macabre crimson wreath, Iruka sits back on his haunches, refusing to eat. The Alpha only has a moment to tilt his head in bemusement when Iruka tilts his head up and releases a long, high pitched howl. The pups are  with them in seconds, yipping enthusiastically, and growling at each other in excitement. The Alpha pauses, seemingly at a loss. Iruka fully expects him to turn tail and leave him and his pups to their own devices. This meal would be enough to sustain all of them for at least three or four days, and Alpha’s weren’t known for tolerating pups that weren’t their own. Their short trist had served its purpose; soon, the pups’ bellies will be full for the first time in ages.

 

To Iruka’s great surprise, the Alpha simply snorts in what seems to be exasperation, then simply chooses to lounge contentedly in the snow, watching their surroundings as they ate. When Iruka and the pups have had their fill, the Alpha stands to finish the carcass.

They follow the Alpha for several days. _Kakashi_ he had managed to tell him after a few days - their connection having strengthened decidedly faster than what Iruka felt was typical. Iruka is also surprised to witness how willing Kakashi is to take them all under his wing, when he hasn’t even made much progress in convincing Iruka to present for him to mount. The pups were weary at first, having never interacted with Alphas who were not their own fathers, but Naruto broke the ice quickly. Initiating play one night before bedtime by grabbing a mouthful of Kakashi’s tail and tugging _hard._ The others looked on in panic as the Alpha slowly turned his head around to stare at the little yellow pup. Iruka had tensed, preparing to leap to the defense of the poor, stupid thing, before Kakashi knelt down and released a deep faux growl, showing his teeth playfully. In no time at all, Kakashi was running circles around what was supposed to be their resting spot, three pups chasing and snapping behind him. This was all turning out to be much easier than Iruka thought it would be.

 

****

 

_January_

 

They arrive a tiny shanty built of wood in the middle of the forest. It is surrounded by a free-flowing creek to the east, and endless trees to the west. Kakashi’s dwelling has an obviously handmade feel to it, with nothing more than a simple, rectangular space with a wood stove set in the middle for heat, it’s long black chimney extending out through the roof. There’s a pallet of blankets in the corner, surrounded by a canopy of what looks like old sheets, all hung by a hook that had been screwed into the wall. Iruka and the pups wait awkwardly outside the front door as Kakashi steps inside to transform - returning wearing some worn blue jeans, a flannel button-down, and a knit scarf bundled around his shoulders so high it obscures his face. Kakashi peers at them from over his scarf, scratching the back of his head nervously. “Ah...you guys are uh, welcome to come in and...change and stuff.”

 

Iruka tilts his head and huffs, willing Kakashi to realize their predicament so that no one would have to embarass themselves. As well developed as their back communication has developed in these past few days, there was no way that they could understand each other while they were both in different forms. Realization visibly falls upon (what was visible of) Kakashi’s face.

 

“Oh, shit,” he deadpans, slapping a palm to his forehead. “You guys don’t have clothes, duh. Okay, hold on.”

 

They spend the day in Kakahi’s old sweats. He promises to take them all into town in his truck once the snow melts a bit. 

 

The next morning, Naruto asks to go outside to play. “We haven’t been able to build a snowman _all year_ Iruka, pleeease!” He doesn’t love the idea, but he relents. Iruka is nervous - he can’t remember a time when letting the pups out of his immediate presence for a mere second was even remotely possible. As soon as giving his reluctant permission, all three pups were leaping out the door, ripping off their borrowed clothes, and transforming mid-leap into their wolves, Sasuke trying very hard to not look as if he was as excited as he was. Iruka watches intently from the window, fingertips nervously drumming against the blue flannel covering his bicep as his crossed his arms. Kakashi draws in from behind him, quietly sipping at a cup of coffee. Iruka sighs. It has been a while since Kakashi has tried to mount him, and Iruka knows he is giving off the pungent smell of Last Day in Heat. He braces himself for a proposition - he wonders how many rejections the Alpha will tolerate before sending them all out of his territory.

 

Instead, Kakashi keeps a comfortable distance and simply breathes evenly behind him, the scent of calm and contentment rolls off of him so thickly that Iruka can’t help but share in some of his peace. “Some pups you’ve got there,” Kakashi murmurs in his gravelly voice, and sweet Jesus, did Iruka like that voice.

 

“You have _no idea_ ,” he replies, reaching a golden hand up to his face to sweep a stray lock of hair behind his ear.

 

“So..what’s the story with them, anyway?” Kakashi sips from his mug in obvious feigned disinterest. It’s a bold question, and yet Iruka can’t find it within himself to feel offended by it. In fact, he finds Kakashi’s bluntness to be a bit endearing if he’s being honest with himself. He steps a bit closer, leaning the elbow of his free arm against the window sill to support himself as he joins Iruka in watching them.

 

“I mean, I can tell by the smell of them that they aren’t yo-”

 

“They _are_ mine,” Iruka snaps, fire filling his belly. Those pups are _his_. They didn’t have anyone else. Not anymore. At Kakashi’s puzzled expression - or what he surmised from what he could see of his face - Iruka adds, “Blood has nothing to do with it.”

 

Kakashi gently puts both hands up in surrender, displaying his burgundy, fingerless gloves. He had crocheted them himself, if that isn’t the most _adorable_ thing Iruka had ever heard when he had told him. “Okay, gotcha. Didn’t mean to offend.” Iruka let’s out a sigh, his face close enough to the window to leave fog. He can feel Kakashi’s arm brush against his as he leans back against the window next to him. It sends a shiver up his arm and all the way down his spine.

 

“I was a teacher back in our village, before the hunters burned it down,” Iruka breathes. He feels Kakashi tense next to him, but he doesn’t say anything, so Iruka continues. “Sasuke and Naruto were my students - they were the only ones I managed to get out of the building before i-it um,” he pauses - takes a centering breath. “Sakura was bitten in the next village over - the reason the hunters were in such a blood frenzy to begin with.” Kakashi lets out a hiss.

 

“Shit. Were-folks still go around biting _kids_ where you’re from?”

 

“It was a full moon, nomadic pack, excitable yearlings - same old story. Now we’re the only ones left.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

“Yeah. Me,too.”

 

****

February

 

The two of them are sitting in the cab of Kakashi’s rusty old Ford, watching the stars from the clearing. The kids were being extra annoying today, so Kakashi and Iruka had taken advantage when they had all dozed off after dinner.

 

Kakashi tells Iruka the stories of made-up constellations. Iruka educates Kakashi about _actual_ constellations. Kakashi drops some kind of line about the stars and Iruka’s eyes, and Iruka can’t believe himself for the flutter he feels in his chest, because _that_ was a pathetic line if he had ever heard one. Somehow, he finds that his shoulders are already melded with Kakashi’s, his head delicately propped on a broad shoulder. The crochet sweater which he rubs his cheek against smells like handmade laundry detergent, pine, and _Alpha_.  Kakashi’s warm hand lands lightly between Iruka’s shoulder blades, rubbing in small, slow circles, and Iruka contentedly settles further into the other man’s side. Kakashi must take this as acquiescence, because that gloved hand runs its way down to the base of Iruka’s back, gently moving to the side of his hip, giving the clothed flesh he found there a affectionate squeeze. Being with Kakashi like this is surprisingly easy. It's simple, and good. Something about being wrapped in Kakashi's arms made the world seem a bit less big and cold and unforgiving. Iruka no longer stays for the food and protection, for the security afforded to the pups - he stays for this man. This kind, generous, wonderful man.

 

“I kinda like you," Kakashi murmurs into his hair. Iruka suppresses an eyeroll, _Alphas - honestly._

 

“I kinda like you too," he replies softly.

 

They kiss. And Iruka is safe.


End file.
